20 severely emaciated dogs removed, 3 horses, 1 donkey
Ville Platte, LA (US)Incident Date: Monday, Jul 18, 2011
County: Evangeline
Disposition: Alleged
Alleged: Calvin Freeman
A Ville Platte resident is the center of not just one, but two animal cruelty investigations.
It started with dogs, but livestock may be suffering too. Evangeline Parish Sheriff's investigators rescued three horses and one donkey from Calvin Freeman's property.
Jeff Dorson with the Lousisiana Humane Society said, he's becoming a hoarder and he isn't able to take care of all of the animals.
Twenty dogs were taken from Freeman's home in Ville Platte. Officials say they were malnourished and suffering. Fourteen had to be euthanized because they couldn't be nursed back to health.
The rescued dogs are at the Ville Platte Animal Shelter, some are having a tough time recovering.
Dorson said, "we hoped more could be saved but the veterinarian thought they were too far gone. It was a terrible ordeal."
Freeman is charged with fourteen counts of animal cruelty. His family said he's innocent-only trying to help the animals.
"People from the neighborhood drop them off here, so what they tried to do is to do their best-to keep feeding all these animals," Joyce Bordelon said.
Dorsey said, "they were starving to death. All of them malnourished, some parasitic. He was going in the wrong direction, he was contributing to their suffering."
As for the horse, officials said they have reason to believe it had already been sick before Freeman started taking care of it. If this is the case, he may not be charged with any more counts of animal cruelty, unless he can't financially support them. References |
